HTML to PDF API - Ruby

Learn how to convert web pages and HTML documents to PDF in Ruby using the Pdfcrowd API v2. The API is easy to use and the integration takes only a couple of lines of code.

Installation

Install the client library from rubygems.org

gem install pdfcrowd

Learn more about other install options.

Authentication

Authentication is needed in order to use the Pdfcrowd API. The credentials used for accessing the API are your Pdfcrowd username and the API key.
Sign up for a Free Trial

Examples

Convert a web page to a PDF file

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # run the conversion and write the result to a file
    client.convertUrlToFile("http://www.example.com", 'example.pdf')
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Convert a web page to in-memory PDF

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # create output file for conversion result
    output_file = open("example.pdf", "wb")

    # run the conversion and store the result into a pdf variable
    pdf = client.convertUrl("http://www.example.com")

    # write the pdf into the output file
    output_file.write(pdf)

    # close the output file
    output_file.close()
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Convert a web page and write the resulting PDF to an output stream

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # create output stream for conversion result
    output_stream = open("example.pdf", "wb")

    # run the conversion and write the result into the output stream
    client.convertUrlToStream("http://www.example.com", output_stream)

    # close the output stream
    output_stream.close()
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Convert a local HTML file to a PDF file

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # run the conversion and write the result to a file
    client.convertFileToFile("/path/to/MyLayout.html", 'MyLayout.pdf')
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Convert a local HTML file to in-memory PDF

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # create output file for conversion result
    output_file = open("MyLayout.pdf", "wb")

    # run the conversion and store the result into a pdf variable
    pdf = client.convertFile("/path/to/MyLayout.html")

    # write the pdf into the output file
    output_file.write(pdf)

    # close the output file
    output_file.close()
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Convert a local HTML file and write the resulting PDF to an output stream

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # create output stream for conversion result
    output_stream = open("MyLayout.pdf", "wb")

    # run the conversion and write the result into the output stream
    client.convertFileToStream("/path/to/MyLayout.html", output_stream)

    # close the output stream
    output_stream.close()
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Convert a string containing HTML to a PDF file

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # run the conversion and write the result to a file
    client.convertStringToFile("<html><body><h1>Hello World!</h1></body></html>", 'HelloWorld.pdf')
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Convert a string containing HTML to in-memory PDF

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # create output file for conversion result
    output_file = open("HelloWorld.pdf", "wb")

    # run the conversion and store the result into a pdf variable
    pdf = client.convertString("<html><body><h1>Hello World!</h1></body></html>")

    # write the pdf into the output file
    output_file.write(pdf)

    # close the output file
    output_file.close()
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Convert a string containing HTML and write the resulting PDF to an output stream

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # create output stream for conversion result
    output_stream = open("HelloWorld.pdf", "wb")

    # run the conversion and write the result into the output stream
    client.convertStringToStream("<html><body><h1>Hello World!</h1></body></html>", output_stream)

    # close the output stream
    output_stream.close()
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Get info about the current conversion

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # configure the conversion
    client.setDebugLog(true)

    # run the conversion and write the result to a file
    client.convertFileToFile("/path/to/MyLayout.html", 'MyLayout.pdf')
    
    # print URL to the debug log
    puts "Debug log url: #{client.getDebugLogUrl()}"
    
    # print the number of available conversion credits in your account
    puts "Remaining credit count: #{client.getRemainingCreditCount()}"
    
    # print the number of credits consumed by the conversion
    puts "Consumed credit count: #{client.getConsumedCreditCount()}"
    
    # print the unique ID of the conversion
    puts "Job id: #{client.getJobId()}"
    
    # print the total number of pages in the output document
    puts "Page count: #{client.getPageCount()}"
    
    # print the size of the output in bytes
    puts "Output size: #{client.getOutputSize()}"
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Advanced Examples

Customize the page size and the orientation

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # configure the conversion
    client.setPageSize("Letter")
    client.setOrientation("landscape")
    client.setNoMargins(true)

    # run the conversion and write the result to a file
    client.convertUrlToFile("http://www.example.com", 'letter_landscape.pdf')
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Put the source URL in the header and the page number in the footer

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # configure the conversion
    client.setHeaderHeight("15mm")
    client.setFooterHeight("10mm")
    client.setHeaderHtml("<a class='pdfcrowd-source-url' data-pdfcrowd-placement='href-and-content'></a>")
    client.setFooterHtml("<center><span class='pdfcrowd-page-number'></span></center>")
    client.setMarginTop("0mm")
    client.setMarginBottom("0mm")

    # run the conversion and write the result to a file
    client.convertUrlToFile("http://www.example.com", 'header_footer.pdf')
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Zoom the HTML document

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # configure the conversion
    client.setScaleFactor(300)

    # run the conversion and write the result to a file
    client.convertUrlToFile("http://www.example.com", 'zoom_300.pdf')
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Set PDF metadata

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # configure the conversion
    client.setAuthor("Pdfcrowd")
    client.setTitle("Hello")
    client.setSubject("Demo")
    client.setKeywords("Pdfcrowd,demo")

    # run the conversion and write the result to a file
    client.convertUrlToFile("http://www.example.com", 'with_metadata.pdf')
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Create a Powerpoint like presentation from an HTML document

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # configure the conversion
    client.setPageLayout("single-page")
    client.setPageMode("full-screen")
    client.setInitialZoomType("fit-page")
    client.setOrientation("landscape")
    client.setNoMargins(true)

    # run the conversion and write the result to a file
    client.convertUrlToFile("https://pdfcrowd.com/doc/api/", 'slide_show.pdf')
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Convert an HTML document section

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # configure the conversion
    client.setElementToConvert("#main")

    # run the conversion and write the result to a file
    client.convertUrlToFile("https://pdfcrowd.com/doc/api/", 'html_part.pdf')
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Inject an HTML code

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # configure the conversion
    client.setCustomJavascript("el=document.createElement('h2'); el.textContent='Hello from Pdfcrowd API'; el.style.color='red'; el_before=document.getElementsByTagName('h1')[0]; el_before.parentNode.insertBefore(el, el_before.nextSibling)")

    # run the conversion and write the result to a file
    client.convertUrlToFile("http://www.example.com", 'html_inject.pdf')
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Convert a responsive web page as it appears on a large device

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # configure the conversion
    client.setViewportWidth(992)
    client.setRenderingMode("viewport")
    client.setSmartScalingMode("viewport-fit")
    client.setNoMargins(true)

    # run the conversion and write the result to a file
    client.convertUrlToFile("https://getbootstrap.com/", 'bootstrap.pdf')
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Renderer debugging - highlight HTML elements

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # configure the conversion
    client.setCustomJavascript("libPdfcrowd.highlightHtmlElements({backgroundColor: 'rgba(255, 191, 0, 0.1)', borderColor:null})")

    # run the conversion and write the result to a file
    client.convertUrlToFile("http://www.example.com", 'highlight_background.pdf')
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Renderer debugging - borders with spacing around HTML elements

require 'pdfcrowd'

begin
    # create the API client instance
    client = Pdfcrowd::HtmlToPdfClient.new("demo", "ce544b6ea52a5621fb9d55f8b542d14d")

    # configure the conversion
    client.setCustomJavascript("libPdfcrowd.highlightHtmlElements({borderColor: 'orange', backgroundColor: null, padding: '4px', margin: '4px'})")

    # run the conversion and write the result to a file
    client.convertUrlToFile("http://www.example.com", 'highlight_borders.pdf')
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why
    # report the error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # handle the exception here or rethrow and handle it at a higher level
    raise
end

Web Server Integration

Check out a complete example in our pdfcrowd-examples Github repository:

HTML to PDF in Ruby on Rails

Common Customizations

The API lets you convert a web page, a local HTML file, or a string containing HTML. The result of the conversion can be stored to a local file, to a stream object or to a variable. See the conversion input section for more details.

The best way to start with the API is to choose one of the examples and once you get it working, you can further customize the code. You can find the most common customizations in the table below.

Page size	Change the page size with setPageSize or setPageDimensions. Pass -1 to setPageHeight to get a single page PDF containing the whole document.
Page orientation	Change the page orientation to landscape with setOrientation.
Page margins	Adjust the page margins with setPageMargins.
Headers and footers	Add headers and footers with setHeaderHtml and setFooterHtml. Set the height with setFooterHeight and setHeaderHeight.
Zoom	Scale the HTML contents with setScaleFactor.
Hide or remove elements	You can use the following classes in your HTML code to hide or remove elements from the output: `pdfcrowd-remove` - sets `display:none!important` on the element `pdfcrowd-hide` - sets `visibility:hidden!important` on the element
Use @media print	You can switch to the print version of the page (if it exists) with setUsePrintMedia.
Force page break	You can force a page break with `<div style="page-break-before:always"></div>`
Avoid page break	You can avoid a page break inside an element with the following CSS `th, td, img { page-break-inside:avoid }`
Run custom JavaScript	You can use setOnLoadJavascript or setCustomJavascript to alter the HTML contents with a custom JavaScript. In addition to the standard browser APIs, the custom JavaScript code can use helper functions from our JavaScript library.

Error Handling

begin 
    # call the API 
rescue Pdfcrowd::Error => why 
    # print error
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error: #{why}"

    # print just error code
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error Code: #{why.getCode()}"

    # print just error message
    STDERR.puts "Pdfcrowd Error Message: #{why.getMessage()}"

    # or handle the error in your way
end

Troubleshooting

Check API Status Codes in case of the error code is returned.
You can use setDebugLog and getDebugLogUrl to get detailed info about the conversion, such as conversion errors, time, console output.
You can use our JavaScript library to resolve rendering problems, such as missing content or blank pages.
Just use setCustomJavascript with libPdfcrowd.highlightHtmlElements method call to visualize all HTML elements. See the example and helper JavaScript library documentation.
Take a look at the FAQ section.

API Reference - class HtmlToPdfClient

Conversion from HTML to PDF. All setter methods return HtmlToPdfClient object unless otherwise specified.

Constructor

def initialize(user_name, api_key)

Constructor for the Pdfcrowd API client.

user_name

Your username at Pdfcrowd.

api_key

Your API key.

Conversion Input

def convertUrl(url)

Convert a web page.

url

The address of the web page to convert.

The supported protocols are http:// and https://.

Returns

byte[] - Byte array containing the conversion output.

def convertUrlToStream(url, out_stream)

Convert a web page and write the result to an output stream.

url

The address of the web page to convert.

The supported protocols are http:// and https://.

out_stream

The output stream that will contain the conversion output.

def convertUrlToFile(url, file_path)

Convert a web page and write the result to a local file.

url

The address of the web page to convert.

The supported protocols are http:// and https://.

file_path

The output file path.

The string must not be empty.

def convertFile(file)

Convert a local file.

file

The path to a local file to convert.
The file can be either a single file or an archive (.tar.gz, .tar.bz2, or .zip).
If the HTML document refers to local external assets (images, style sheets, javascript), zip the document together with the assets.

The file must exist and not be empty.

The file name must have a valid extension.

Returns

byte[] - Byte array containing the conversion output.

def convertFileToStream(file, out_stream)

Convert a local file and write the result to an output stream.

file

The file must exist and not be empty.

The file name must have a valid extension.

out_stream

The output stream that will contain the conversion output.

def convertFileToFile(file, file_path)

Convert a local file and write the result to a local file.

file

The file must exist and not be empty.

The file name must have a valid extension.

file_path

The output file path.

The string must not be empty.

def convertString(text)

Convert a string.

text

The string content to convert.

The string must not be empty.

Returns

byte[] - Byte array containing the conversion output.

def convertStringToStream(text, out_stream)

Convert a string and write the output to an output stream.

text

The string content to convert.

The string must not be empty.

out_stream

The output stream that will contain the conversion output.

def convertStringToFile(text, file_path)

Convert a string and write the output to a file.

text

The string content to convert.

The string must not be empty.

file_path

The output file path.

The string must not be empty.

Page Setup

def setPageSize(page_size)

Set the output page size.

page_size

Allowed values:

A2
A3
A4
A5
A6
Letter

Default: A4

def setPageWidth(page_width)

Set the output page width. The safe maximum is 200in otherwise some PDF viewers may be unable to open the PDF.

page_width

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).

Default: 8.27in

Examples:

setPageWidth("300mm")
setPageWidth("9.5in")

def setPageHeight(page_height)

Set the output page height. Use -1 for a single page PDF. The safe maximum is 200in otherwise some PDF viewers may be unable to open the PDF.

page_height

Can be -1 or specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).

Default: 11.7in

Examples:

setPageHeight("350mm")
setPageHeight("15.25in")
The height of the page is calculated automatically so that the whole document fits into it.

setPageHeight("-1")

def setPageDimensions(width, height)

Set the output page dimensions.

width

Set the output page width. The safe maximum is 200in otherwise some PDF viewers may be unable to open the PDF.

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).

Default: 8.27in

height

Set the output page height. Use -1 for a single page PDF. The safe maximum is 200in otherwise some PDF viewers may be unable to open the PDF.

Can be -1 or specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).

Default: 11.7in

Examples:

setPageDimensions("300mm", "350mm")
setPageDimensions("9.5in", "15.25in")
setPageDimensions("372mm", "520pt")

def setOrientation(orientation)

Set the output page orientation.

orientation

Allowed values:

landscape
portrait

Default: portrait

def setMarginTop(margin_top)

Set the output page top margin.

margin_top

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).

Default: 0.4in

Examples:

setMarginTop("1in")
setMarginTop("2.5cm")

def setMarginRight(margin_right)

Set the output page right margin.

margin_right

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).

Default: 0.4in

Examples:

setMarginRight("1in")
setMarginRight("2.5cm")

def setMarginBottom(margin_bottom)

Set the output page bottom margin.

margin_bottom

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).

Default: 0.4in

Examples:

setMarginBottom("1in")
setMarginBottom("2.5cm")

def setMarginLeft(margin_left)

Set the output page left margin.

margin_left

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).

Default: 0.4in

Examples:

setMarginLeft("1in")
setMarginLeft("2.5cm")

def setNoMargins(no_margins)

Disable page margins.

no_margins

Set to true to disable margins.

Default: false

def setPageMargins(top, right, bottom, left)

Set the output page margins.

top

Set the output page top margin.

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).

Default: 0.4in

right

Set the output page right margin.

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).

Default: 0.4in

bottom

Set the output page bottom margin.

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).

Default: 0.4in

left

Set the output page left margin.

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).

Default: 0.4in

def setHeaderUrl(header_url)

Load an HTML code from the specified URL and use it as the page header. The following classes can be used in the HTML. The content of the respective elements will be expanded as follows:

pdfcrowd-page-count - the total page count of printed pages
pdfcrowd-page-number - the current page number
pdfcrowd-source-url - the source URL of a converted document

The following attributes can be used:

data-pdfcrowd-number-format - specifies the type of the used numerals
- Arabic numerals are used by default.
- Roman numerals can be generated by the roman and roman-lowercase values
 - Example:
data-pdfcrowd-placement - specifies where to place the source URL, allowed values:
- The URL is inserted to the content
 - Example: 
 will produce http://example.com
- href - the URL is set to the href attribute
 - Example: <a class='pdfcrowd-source-url' data-pdfcrowd-placement='href'>Link to source</a>
 will produce <a href='http://example.com'>Link to source</a>
- href-and-content - the URL is set to the href attribute and to the content
 - Example: <a class='pdfcrowd-source-url' data-pdfcrowd-placement='href-and-content'></a>
 will produce <a href='http://example.com'>http://example.com</a>

header_url

The supported protocols are http:// and https://.

Examples:

setHeaderUrl("http://myserver.com/header.html")

def setHeaderHtml(header_html)

Use the specified HTML code as the page header. The following classes can be used in the HTML. The content of the respective elements will be expanded as follows:

pdfcrowd-page-count - the total page count of printed pages
pdfcrowd-page-number - the current page number
pdfcrowd-source-url - the source URL of a converted document

The following attributes can be used:

data-pdfcrowd-number-format - specifies the type of the used numerals
- Arabic numerals are used by default.
- Roman numerals can be generated by the roman and roman-lowercase values
 - Example:
data-pdfcrowd-placement - specifies where to place the source URL, allowed values:
- The URL is inserted to the content
 - Example: 
 will produce http://example.com
- href - the URL is set to the href attribute
 - Example: <a class='pdfcrowd-source-url' data-pdfcrowd-placement='href'>Link to source</a>
 will produce <a href='http://example.com'>Link to source</a>
- href-and-content - the URL is set to the href attribute and to the content
 - Example: <a class='pdfcrowd-source-url' data-pdfcrowd-placement='href-and-content'></a>
 will produce <a href='http://example.com'>http://example.com</a>

header_html

The string must not be empty.

Examples:

It displays the page number and the total page count.

setHeaderHtml("Page of pages")

def setHeaderHeight(header_height)

Set the header height.

header_height

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).

Default: 0.5in

Examples:

setHeaderHeight("30mm")
setHeaderHeight("1in")

def setFooterUrl(footer_url)

Load an HTML code from the specified URL and use it as the page footer. The following classes can be used in the HTML. The content of the respective elements will be expanded as follows:

pdfcrowd-page-count - the total page count of printed pages
pdfcrowd-page-number - the current page number
pdfcrowd-source-url - the source URL of a converted document

The following attributes can be used:

data-pdfcrowd-number-format - specifies the type of the used numerals
- Arabic numerals are used by default.
- Roman numerals can be generated by the roman and roman-lowercase values
 - Example:
data-pdfcrowd-placement - specifies where to place the source URL, allowed values:
- The URL is inserted to the content
 - Example: 
 will produce http://example.com
- href - the URL is set to the href attribute
 - Example: <a class='pdfcrowd-source-url' data-pdfcrowd-placement='href'>Link to source</a>
 will produce <a href='http://example.com'>Link to source</a>
- href-and-content - the URL is set to the href attribute and to the content
 - Example: <a class='pdfcrowd-source-url' data-pdfcrowd-placement='href-and-content'></a>
 will produce <a href='http://example.com'>http://example.com</a>

footer_url

The supported protocols are http:// and https://.

Examples:

setFooterUrl("http://myserver.com/header.html")

def setFooterHtml(footer_html)

Use the specified HTML as the page footer. The following classes can be used in the HTML. The content of the respective elements will be expanded as follows:

pdfcrowd-page-count - the total page count of printed pages
pdfcrowd-page-number - the current page number
pdfcrowd-source-url - the source URL of a converted document

The following attributes can be used:

data-pdfcrowd-number-format - specifies the type of the used numerals
- Arabic numerals are used by default.
- Roman numerals can be generated by the roman and roman-lowercase values
 - Example:
data-pdfcrowd-placement - specifies where to place the source URL, allowed values:
- The URL is inserted to the content
 - Example: 
 will produce http://example.com
- href - the URL is set to the href attribute
 - Example: <a class='pdfcrowd-source-url' data-pdfcrowd-placement='href'>Link to source</a>
 will produce <a href='http://example.com'>Link to source</a>
- href-and-content - the URL is set to the href attribute and to the content
 - Example: <a class='pdfcrowd-source-url' data-pdfcrowd-placement='href-and-content'></a>
 will produce <a href='http://example.com'>http://example.com</a>

footer_html

The string must not be empty.

Examples:

It displays the page number and the total page count.

setFooterHtml("Page of pages")

def setFooterHeight(footer_height)

Set the footer height.

footer_height

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).

Default: 0.5in

Examples:

setFooterHeight("30mm")
setFooterHeight("1in")

def setPrintPageRange(pages)

Set the page range to print.

pages

A comma separated list of page numbers or ranges.

Examples:

Just the second page is printed.

setPrintPageRange("2")
The first and the third page are printed.

setPrintPageRange("1,3")
Everything except the first page is printed.

setPrintPageRange("2-")
Just first 3 pages are printed.

setPrintPageRange("-3")
Pages 3, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are printed.

setPrintPageRange("3,6-9")

def setExcludeHeaderOnPages(pages)

The page header is not printed on the specified pages.

pages

List of physical page numbers. Negative numbers count backwards from the last page: -1 is the last page, -2 is the last but one page, and so on.

A comma separated list of page numbers.

Examples:

The header is not printed on the second page.

setExcludeHeaderOnPages("2")
The header is not printed on the first and the last page.

setExcludeHeaderOnPages("1,-1")

def setExcludeFooterOnPages(pages)

The page footer is not printed on the specified pages.

pages

List of physical page numbers. Negative numbers count backwards from the last page: -1 is the last page, -2 is the last but one page, and so on.

A comma separated list of page numbers.

Examples:

The footer is not printed on the second page.

setExcludeFooterOnPages("2")
The footer is not printed on the first and the last page.

setExcludeFooterOnPages("1,-1")

def setPageNumberingOffset(offset)

Set an offset between physical and logical page numbers.

offset

Integer specifying page offset.

Default: 0

Examples:

The page numbering will start with 0. Set exclude_header_on_pages to "1" and the page numbering will start on the second page with 1.

setPageNumberingOffset(1)
The page numbering will start with 11 on the first page. It can be useful for joining documents.

setPageNumberingOffset(-10)

def setContentAreaX(content_area_x)

Set the top left X coordinate of the content area. It is relative to the top left X coordinate of the print area.

content_area_x

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt). It may contain a negative value.

Default: 0in

Examples:

setContentAreaX("-1in")
setContentAreaX("2.5cm")

def setContentAreaY(content_area_y)

Set the top left Y coordinate of the content area. It is relative to the top left Y coordinate of the print area.

content_area_y

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt). It may contain a negative value.

Default: 0in

Examples:

setContentAreaY("-1in")
setContentAreaY("2.5cm")

def setContentAreaWidth(content_area_width)

Set the width of the content area. It should be at least 1 inch.

content_area_width

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).

Default: The width of the print area.

Examples:

setContentAreaWidth("8in")
setContentAreaWidth("25cm")

def setContentAreaHeight(content_area_height)

Set the height of the content area. It should be at least 1 inch.

content_area_height

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).

Default: The height of the print area.

Examples:

setContentAreaHeight("8in")
setContentAreaHeight("25cm")

def setContentArea(x, y, width, height)

Set the content area position and size. The content area enables to specify a web page area to be converted.

Set the top left X coordinate of the content area. It is relative to the top left X coordinate of the print area.

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt). It may contain a negative value.

Default: 0in

Set the top left Y coordinate of the content area. It is relative to the top left Y coordinate of the print area.

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt). It may contain a negative value.

Default: 0in

width

Set the width of the content area. It should be at least 1 inch.

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).

Default: The width of the print area.

height

Set the height of the content area. It should be at least 1 inch.

Can be specified in inches (in), millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), or points (pt).

Default: The height of the print area.

Watermark & Background

def setPageWatermark(page_watermark)

Apply the first page of the watermark PDF to every page of the output PDF.

page_watermark

The file path to a local watermark PDF file.

The file must exist and not be empty.

def setPageWatermarkUrl(page_watermark_url)

Load a watermark PDF from the specified URL and apply the first page of the watermark PDF to every page of the output PDF.

page_watermark_url

The supported protocols are http:// and https://.

Examples:

setPageWatermarkUrl("http://myserver.com/watermark.pdf")

def setMultipageWatermark(multipage_watermark)

Apply each page of the specified watermark PDF to the corresponding page of the output PDF.

multipage_watermark

The file path to a local watermark PDF file.

The file must exist and not be empty.

def setMultipageWatermarkUrl(multipage_watermark_url)

Load a watermark PDF from the specified URL and apply each page of the specified watermark PDF to the corresponding page of the output PDF.

multipage_watermark_url

The supported protocols are http:// and https://.

Examples:

setMultipageWatermarkUrl("http://myserver.com/watermark.pdf")

def setPageBackground(page_background)

Apply the first page of the specified PDF to the background of every page of the output PDF.

page_background

The file path to a local background PDF file.

The file must exist and not be empty.

def setPageBackgroundUrl(page_background_url)

Load a background PDF from the specified URL and apply the first page of the background PDF to every page of the output PDF.

page_background_url

The supported protocols are http:// and https://.

Examples:

setPageBackgroundUrl("http://myserver.com/background.pdf")

def setMultipageBackground(multipage_background)

Apply each page of the specified PDF to the background of the corresponding page of the output PDF.

multipage_background

The file path to a local background PDF file.

The file must exist and not be empty.

def setMultipageBackgroundUrl(multipage_background_url)

Load a background PDF from the specified URL and apply each page of the specified background PDF to the corresponding page of the output PDF.

multipage_background_url

The supported protocols are http:// and https://.

Examples:

setMultipageBackgroundUrl("http://myserver.com/background.pdf")

def setPageBackgroundColor(page_background_color)

The page background color in RGB or RGBA hexadecimal format. The color fills the entire page regardless of the margins.

page_background_color

The value must be in RRGGBB or RRGGBBAA hexadecimal format.

Examples:

red color

setPageBackgroundColor("FF0000")
green color

setPageBackgroundColor("00ff00")
green color with 50% opacity

setPageBackgroundColor("00ff0080")

General Options

def setNoBackground(no_background)

Do not print the background graphics.

no_background

Set to true to disable the background graphics.

Default: false

def setDisableJavascript(disable_javascript)

Do not execute JavaScript.

disable_javascript

Set to true to disable JavaScript in web pages.

Default: false

def setDisableImageLoading(disable_image_loading)

Do not load images.

disable_image_loading

Set to true to disable loading of images.

Default: false

def setDisableRemoteFonts(disable_remote_fonts)

Disable loading fonts from remote sources.

disable_remote_fonts

Set to true disable loading remote fonts.

Default: false

def setBlockAds(block_ads)

Try to block ads. Enabling this option can produce smaller output and speed up the conversion.

block_ads

Set to true to block ads in web pages.

Default: false

def setDefaultEncoding(default_encoding)

Set the default HTML content text encoding.

default_encoding

The text encoding of the HTML content.

Default: auto detect

def setHttpAuth(user_name, password)

Set credentials to access HTTP base authentication protected websites.

user_name

Set the HTTP authentication user name.

password

Set the HTTP authentication password.

def setUsePrintMedia(use_print_media)

Use the print version of the page if available (@media print).

use_print_media

Set to true to use the print version of the page.

Default: false

def setNoXpdfcrowdHeader(no_xpdfcrowd_header)

Do not send the X-Pdfcrowd HTTP header in Pdfcrowd HTTP requests.

no_xpdfcrowd_header

Set to true to disable sending X-Pdfcrowd HTTP header.

Default: false

def setCookies(cookies)

Set cookies that are sent in Pdfcrowd HTTP requests.

The cookie string.

Examples:

setCookies("session=6d7184b3bf35;token=2710")

def setVerifySslCertificates(verify_ssl_certificates)

Do not allow insecure HTTPS connections.

verify_ssl_certificates

Set to true to enable SSL certificate verification.

Default: false

def setFailOnMainUrlError(fail_on_error)

Abort the conversion if the main URL HTTP status code is greater than or equal to 400.

fail_on_error

Set to true to abort the conversion.

Default: false

def setFailOnAnyUrlError(fail_on_error)

Abort the conversion if any of the sub-request HTTP status code is greater than or equal to 400 or if some sub-requests are still pending. See details in a debug log.

fail_on_error

Set to true to abort the conversion.

Default: false

def setCustomJavascript(custom_javascript)

Run a custom JavaScript after the document is loaded and ready to print. The script is intended for post-load DOM manipulation (add/remove elements, update CSS, ...). In addition to the standard browser APIs, the custom JavaScript code can use helper functions from our JavaScript library.

custom_javascript

A string containing a JavaScript code.

The string must not be empty.

def setOnLoadJavascript(on_load_javascript)

Run a custom JavaScript right after the document is loaded. The script is intended for early DOM manipulation (add/remove elements, update CSS, ...). In addition to the standard browser APIs, the custom JavaScript code can use helper functions from our JavaScript library.

on_load_javascript

A string containing a JavaScript code.

The string must not be empty.

def setCustomHttpHeader(custom_http_header)

Set a custom HTTP header that is sent in Pdfcrowd HTTP requests.

custom_http_header

A string containing the header name and value separated by a colon.

Examples:

setCustomHttpHeader("X-My-Client-ID:k2017-12345")

def setJavascriptDelay(javascript_delay)

Wait the specified number of milliseconds to finish all JavaScript after the document is loaded. The maximum value is determined by your API license.

javascript_delay

The number of milliseconds to wait.

Must be a positive integer number or 0.

Default: 200

def setElementToConvert(selectors)

Convert only the specified element from the main document and its children. The element is specified by one or more CSS selectors. If the element is not found, the conversion fails. If multiple elements are found, the first one is used.

selectors

One or more CSS selectors separated by commas.

The string must not be empty.

Examples:

The first element with the id main-content is converted.

setElementToConvert("#main-content")
The first element with the class name main-content is converted.

setElementToConvert(".main-content")
The first element with the tag name table is converted.

setElementToConvert("table")
The first element with the tag name table or with the id main-content is converted.

setElementToConvert("table, #main-content")
The first element within <div class="user-panel main"> is converted.

setElementToConvert("div.user-panel.main p.article")

def setElementToConvertMode(mode)

Specify the DOM handling when only a part of the document is converted.

mode

Allowed values:

cut-out

The element and its children are cut out of the document.
remove-siblings

All element's siblings are removed.
hide-siblings

All element's sibilings are hidden.

Default: cut-out

def setWaitForElement(selectors)

Wait for the specified element in a source document. The element is specified by one or more CSS selectors. The element is searched for in the main document and all iframes. If the element is not found, the conversion fails. Your API license defines the maximum wait time by "Max Delay" parameter.

selectors

One or more CSS selectors separated by commas.

The string must not be empty.

Examples:

Wait until an element with the id main-content is found.

setWaitForElement("#main-content")
Wait until an element with the class name main-content is found.

setWaitForElement(".main-content")
Wait until an element with the tag name table is found.

setWaitForElement("table")
Wait until an element with the tag name table or with the id main-content is found.

setWaitForElement("table, #main-content")
Wait until is found within <div class="user-panel main">.

setWaitForElement("div.user-panel.main p.article")

Print Resolution

def setViewportWidth(viewport_width)

Set the viewport width in pixels. The viewport is the user's visible area of the page.

viewport_width

The value must be in the range 96-65000.

Default: 1024

def setViewportHeight(viewport_height)

Set the viewport height in pixels. The viewport is the user's visible area of the page.

viewport_height

Must be a positive integer number.

Default: 768

def setViewport(width, height)

Set the viewport size. The viewport is the user's visible area of the page.

width

Set the viewport width in pixels. The viewport is the user's visible area of the page.

The value must be in the range 96-65000.

Default: 1024

height

Set the viewport height in pixels. The viewport is the user's visible area of the page.

Must be a positive integer number.

Default: 768

def setRenderingMode(rendering_mode)

Set the rendering mode.

rendering_mode

The rendering mode.

Allowed values:

default

This mode is based on the standard browser print functionality.
viewport

The viewport width affects the @media min-width and max-width CSS properties. This mode can be used to choose a particular version (mobile, desktop, ..) of a responsive page.

Default: default

def setSmartScalingMode(smart_scaling_mode)

Specifies the scaling mode used for fitting the HTML contents to the print area.

smart_scaling_mode

The smart scaling mode.

Allowed values:

default

This mode is based on the standard browser print functionality.
disabled

No smart scaling is performed.
viewport-fit

The viewport width fits the print area width.
content-fit

The HTML contents width fits the print area width.
single-page-fit

The whole HTML contents fits the print area of a single page.

Default: default

def setScaleFactor(scale_factor)

Set the scaling factor (zoom) for the main page area.

scale_factor

The percentage value.

The value must be in the range 10-500.

Default: 100

def setHeaderFooterScaleFactor(header_footer_scale_factor)

Set the scaling factor (zoom) for the header and footer.

header_footer_scale_factor

The percentage value.

The value must be in the range 10-500.

Default: 100

def setDisableSmartShrinking(disable_smart_shrinking)

Disable the intelligent shrinking strategy that tries to optimally fit the HTML contents to a PDF page.

disable_smart_shrinking

Set to true to disable the intelligent shrinking strategy.

Default: false

def setJpegQuality(jpeg_quality)

Set the quality of embedded JPEG images. A lower quality results in a smaller PDF file but can lead to compression artifacts.

jpeg_quality

The percentage value.

The value must be in the range 1-100.

Default: 100

def setConvertImagesToJpeg(convert_images_to_jpeg)

Specify which image types will be converted to JPEG. Converting lossless compression image formats (PNG, GIF, ...) to JPEG may result in a smaller PDF file.

convert_images_to_jpeg

The image category.

Allowed values:

none

No image conversion is done.
opaque

Only opaque images are converted to JPEG images.
all

All images are converted to JPEG images. The JPEG format does not support transparency so the transparent color is replaced by a PDF page background color.

Default: none

def setImageDpi(image_dpi)

Set the DPI of images in PDF. A lower DPI may result in a smaller PDF file. If the specified DPI is higher than the actual image DPI, the original image DPI is retained (no upscaling is performed). Use 0 to leave the images unaltered.

image_dpi

The DPI value.

Must be a positive integer number or 0.

Default: 0

Examples:

No change of the source image is done.

setImageDpi(0)
Screen-only view lower DPI.

setImageDpi(72)
Screen-only view recommended DPI.

setImageDpi(96)
Ebook typical DPI.

setImageDpi(150)
Printer standard DPI.

setImageDpi(300)

PDF Format

Miscellaneous values for PDF output.

def setLinearize(linearize)

Create linearized PDF. This is also known as Fast Web View.

linearize

Set to true to create linearized PDF.

Default: false

def setEncrypt(encrypt)

Encrypt the PDF. This prevents search engines from indexing the contents.

encrypt

Set to true to enable PDF encryption.

Default: false

def setUserPassword(user_password)

Protect the PDF with a user password. When a PDF has a user password, it must be supplied in order to view the document and to perform operations allowed by the access permissions.

user_password

The user password.

def setOwnerPassword(owner_password)

Protect the PDF with an owner password. Supplying an owner password grants unlimited access to the PDF including changing the passwords and access permissions.

owner_password

The owner password.

def setNoPrint(no_print)

Disallow printing of the output PDF.

no_print

Set to true to set the no-print flag in the output PDF.

Default: false

def setNoModify(no_modify)

Disallow modification of the output PDF.

no_modify

Set to true to set the read-only only flag in the output PDF.

Default: false

def setNoCopy(no_copy)

Disallow text and graphics extraction from the output PDF.

no_copy

Set to true to set the no-copy flag in the output PDF.

Default: false

def setTitle(title)

Set the title of the PDF.

title

The title.

def setSubject(subject)

Set the subject of the PDF.

subject

The subject.

def setAuthor(author)

Set the author of the PDF.

author

The author.

def setKeywords(keywords)

Associate keywords with the document.

keywords

The string with the keywords.

Viewer Preferences

These preferences specify how a PDF viewer should present the document. The preferences may be ignored by some PDF viewers.

def setPageLayout(page_layout)

Specify the page layout to be used when the document is opened.

page_layout

Allowed values:

single-page

Display one page at a time.
one-column

Display the pages in one column.
two-column-left

Display the pages in two columns, with odd-numbered pages on the left.
two-column-right

Display the pages in two columns, with odd-numbered pages on the right.

def setPageMode(page_mode)

Specify how the document should be displayed when opened.

page_mode

Allowed values:

full-screen

Full-screen mode.
thumbnails

Thumbnail images are visible.
outlines

Document outline is visible.

def setInitialZoomType(initial_zoom_type)

Specify how the page should be displayed when opened.

initial_zoom_type

Allowed values:

fit-width

The page content is magnified just enough to fit the entire width of the page within the window.
fit-height

The page content is magnified just enough to fit the entire height of the page within the window.
fit-page

The page content is magnified just enough to fit the entire page within the window both horizontally and vertically. If the required horizontal and vertical magnification factors are different, use the smaller of the two, centering the page within the window in the other dimension.

def setInitialPage(initial_page)

Display the specified page when the document is opened.

initial_page

Must be a positive integer number.

def setInitialZoom(initial_zoom)

Specify the initial page zoom in percents when the document is opened.

initial_zoom

Must be a positive integer number.

def setHideToolbar(hide_toolbar)

Specify whether to hide the viewer application's tool bars when the document is active.

hide_toolbar

Set to true to hide tool bars.

Default: false

def setHideMenubar(hide_menubar)

Specify whether to hide the viewer application's menu bar when the document is active.

hide_menubar

Set to true to hide the menu bar.

Default: false

def setHideWindowUi(hide_window_ui)

Specify whether to hide user interface elements in the document's window (such as scroll bars and navigation controls), leaving only the document's contents displayed.

hide_window_ui

Set to true to hide ui elements.

Default: false

def setFitWindow(fit_window)

Specify whether to resize the document's window to fit the size of the first displayed page.

fit_window

Set to true to resize the window.

Default: false

def setCenterWindow(center_window)

Specify whether to position the document's window in the center of the screen.

center_window

Set to true to center the window.

Default: false

def setDisplayTitle(display_title)

Specify whether the window's title bar should display the document title. If false , the title bar should instead display the name of the PDF file containing the document.

display_title

Set to true to display the title.

Default: false

def setRightToLeft(right_to_left)

Set the predominant reading order for text to right-to-left. This option has no direct effect on the document's contents or page numbering but can be used to determine the relative positioning of pages when displayed side by side or printed n-up

right_to_left

Set to true to set right-to-left reading order.

Default: false

Miscellaneous

def setDebugLog(debug_log)

Turn on the debug logging. Details about the conversion are stored in the debug log. The URL of the log can be obtained from the getDebugLogUrl method or available in conversion statistics.

debug_log

Set to true to enable the debug logging.

Default: false

def getDebugLogUrl()

Get the URL of the debug log for the last conversion.

Returns

string - The link to the debug log.

def getRemainingCreditCount()

Get the number of conversion credits available in your account.
This method can only be called after a call to one of the convertXYZ methods.
The returned value can differ from the actual count if you run parallel conversions.
The special value 999999 is returned if the information is not available.

Returns

int - The number of credits.

def getConsumedCreditCount()

Get the number of credits consumed by the last conversion.

Returns

int - The number of credits.

def getJobId()

Get the job id.

Returns

string - The unique job identifier.

def getPageCount()

Get the total number of pages in the output document.

Returns

int - The page count.

def getOutputSize()

Get the size of the output in bytes.

Returns

int - The count of bytes.

def setTag(tag)

Tag the conversion with a custom value. The tag is used in conversion statistics. A value longer than 32 characters is cut off.

tag

A string with the custom tag.

def setHttpProxy(http_proxy)

A proxy server used by Pdfcrowd conversion process for accessing the source URLs with HTTP scheme. It can help to circumvent regional restrictions or provide limited access to your intranet.

http_proxy

The value must have format DOMAIN_OR_IP_ADDRESS:PORT.

Examples:

setHttpProxy("myproxy.com:8080")
setHttpProxy("113.25.84.10:33333")

def setHttpsProxy(https_proxy)

A proxy server used by Pdfcrowd conversion process for accessing the source URLs with HTTPS scheme. It can help to circumvent regional restrictions or provide limited access to your intranet.

https_proxy

The value must have format DOMAIN_OR_IP_ADDRESS:PORT.

Examples:

setHttpsProxy("myproxy.com:443")
setHttpsProxy("113.25.84.10:44333")

def setClientCertificate(client_certificate)

A client certificate to authenticate Pdfcrowd converter on your web server. The certificate is used for two-way SSL/TLS authentication and adds extra security.

client_certificate

The file must be in PKCS12 format.

The file must exist and not be empty.

def setClientCertificatePassword(client_certificate_password)

A password for PKCS12 file with a client certificate if it is needed.

client_certificate_password

API Client Options

def setUseHttp(use_http)

Specifies if the client communicates over HTTP or HTTPS with Pdfcrowd API.

use_http

Set to true to use HTTP.

Default: false

def setUserAgent(user_agent)

Set a custom user agent HTTP header. It can be usefull if you are behind some proxy or firewall.

user_agent

The user agent string.

Default: pdfcrowd_ruby_client/4.11.0 (http://pdfcrowd.com)

def setProxy(host, port, user_name, password)

Specifies an HTTP proxy that the API client library will use to connect to the internet.

host

The proxy hostname.

port

The proxy port.

user_name

The username.

password

The password.

def setRetryCount(retry_count)

Specifies the number of retries when the 502 HTTP status code is received. The 502 status code indicates a temporary network issue. This feature can be disabled by setting to 0.

retry_count

Number of retries wanted.

Default: 1